Box Drive for macOS Beta Download Lets Users Stream Files from Cloud

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Box Drive for macOS Beta Download Lets Users Stream Files from Cloud

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Box has added a new collaboration tool to its armory that gives customers the comforting feel of traditional network shared drives but with all the benefits of the cloud. The new feature, aptly called Box Drive, is a desktop application that stores all files in Box and allows users to create, edit, find, and share, without leaving the desktop.

According to a new report from TechCrunch, the app will allow employees to carry out real-time creation, editing and sharing of all their files, without ever needing to leave your desktop. All changes are made and saved in real-time, with documents, PDFs and video files all supported and stored in a Box Drive folder within Windows or macOS.

“Box Drive combines infinite access to the cloud with an intuitive, natively integrated desktop experience that is familiar to hundreds of millions of people today in enterprises all over the world,” said Aaron Levie, cofounder and CEO of Box.

“Not only will Box Drive make collaborating on content easier than ever before, it also signals the beginning of the end for expensive network file shares,” he continued. “With Box Drive, enterprises can accelerate their move to the cloud, enhance security, and significantly reduce IT costs.”

The new platform also comes with top-end security protection, with Box saying that it can remove the risk of locally stored files being compromised if company devices are lost or stolen.

Box Drive also provides a range of other useful tools and services such as real-time collaboration, search and version control which should remove many of the typical hurdles involved in moving your employees and work processes to the cloud.

Box, a cloud storage company that has been around for more than 10 years, is mostly focused on serving large enterprise clients. Levie said the company counts 64 percent of the Fortune 500 as customers.

The content services company has been working toward this feature for years, Levie said. The technical foundation for Box Drive was provided by the acquisition of Streem, which Box purchased three years ago.